The invention relates generally to pinstriping and, more particularly, to a method and tool for applying pinstriping to vehicles.
Purchasers and owners of vehicles, such as automobiles and trucks, often desire to improve the appearance of their vehicle by pinstriping their vehicles, or portions of their vehicles. This may be achieved by manually applying with a paint brush a pinstripe onto the vehicle. It is very difficult though to obtain consistent, high-quality results from manually painting a pinstripe onto a vehicle. Moreover, such technique is also very time-consuming.
In an attempt to improve the quality of pinstripe, a roller device has been developed, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,988,710 entitled xe2x80x9cStriperxe2x80x9d which issued to Samuel B. Beugler on Jan. 22, 1935. Such roller device is used in lieu of a brush and includes a removable closure cap having a slot through which a striping wheel rotates in a manner such that all of the paint adhering to the wheel, after it has engaged the surface being pinstriped, is carried back into the barrel. The device further includes a guide bar extending from the device for insertion in a guide strip. The guide strip is preferably magnetic so that it may be positioned on a vehicle with a metallic surface, and includes a groove configured for receiving the guide bar. In operation, the guide bar is positioned in the groove of the guide strip, and the device is moved along the guide strip as the wheel of the device is rolled with paint along the surface of the vehicle, thereby applying paint to the vehicle in a relatively straight line.
There are a number of drawbacks associated with using the Beugler roller device to apply a pinstripe to the surface of a vehicle. For example, the guide bar is difficult to maintain in the groove of the guide strip while moving the device along the strip. Furthermore, since the guide strip relies on magnetism to attach to the vehicle, the strip may not be used with vehicles having non-metallic surfaces, such as fiberglass, composites, and the like.
In another attempt to cure the drawbacks associated with conventional techniques for applying pinstriping, stencils have been developed in which a pinstripe is applied to the surface of a vehicle by painting within the bounds provided by the stencil. There are a number of drawbacks associated with using stencils also. For example, stencils are difficult to use under windy weather conditions, because a stencil will tend to not stay lined up on a vehicle as it should to permit a pinstripe to be applied. A stencil will also tend to bubble up on a hot car surface, permitting paint to bleed through the edges of the pinstripe. A stencil also requires more paint to make a pinstripe than any other method available for pin striping. It is also difficult to make a tip with a stencil, a pinstripe with multiple lines and/or colors, or to remove a stencil from a vehicle without getting paint on any other part of the vehicle. As a result of the foregoing, stencils are relatively time-consuming and more expensive than other methods.
While pinstriping technology has evolved, substantial skill, experience, and time is still required to apply a pinstripe to a vehicle with consistent high-quality. Accordingly, a continuing search has been directed to the development of methods and tools by which people, with or without substantial experience, may apply pinstriping to a vehicle in a reasonable amount of time with consistent high-quality.
The present invention, accordingly, provides an improved pin stripping tool and method having a main body comprising a head portion, an interior cavity, and a slot in fluid communication between the head portion and the interior cavity. The slot is configured for receiving a wheel, and the interior cavity is configured for receiving paint. A wheel is rotatably mounted in the slot with a portion of the periphery of the wheel extending into the interior cavity. A shoulder extends from the main body, and a guide extends from the shoulder, the guide being configured for following a guide track formed in a strip positioned on a surface of the vehicle, wherein the track is substantially parallel to the desired position of the pinstripe.
In a further embodiment, the strip is secured in position on the surface of the vehicle using adhesive which permits removal of the strip from the surface of the vehicle without leaving a residue, and re-use of the strip on a surface of another vehicle.